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#2.

that there is a good chance to reduce the actual loss to a rather small amount.
    Hance says that Trust Company matters are going on very nicely.
    You have doubtless heard of the death of Mr. Murphy and I fancy through the local papers you have read the Andrews testimony in the Old Detroit National Bank case.

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I have sent you some clippings from local papers concerning the Smithsonian matter and am now handing you herewith an editorial from the New York Times and another from the New York Evening Post, both of which show a rather unlooked for favorable statement for my side of the question.  
As yet the Committee have not named a day for their visit to Detroit, but I fancy they will be here ere long, and I hope the four Regents will add to their number at least one or two experts in oriental art so that the Board of Regents will know better what they are doing when they come to vote either for acceptance or rejection of my offer. 
    Boston, Washington and Philadelphia papers have also approved quite strongly of my conditions and I shall at least have the satisfaction of knowing that my plans were not foolhardy.  The more thought I give to the matter, the stronger my convictions are of the absolute correctness of my intentions.  To allow the future officers of the Smithsonian Institution to add to or detract from my own collections or to exhibit in my building things which